Colours and How They Make You Feel
Every colour has implications when you're designing websites and other graphics. You need to pick your colours carefully in order to give off your desired aesthetic and bring emotional nuance to your sites message.
Generally, bright and bold colours are used to grab attention but can often appear very overwhelming. More subtle muted tones can convey a more complex image, but can also be easily overlooked by the viewers. Colours actually have a deep seeded psychological effect on people which can stir unconscious feelings. These feelings particular meanings are ascribed to different colours in different societies.
Red implies passion, energy, danger, aggression, warmth, and heat. It's also been found to stimulate appetite, which is why restaurants and food products often use the colour red. Choosing red for your website can make it eye catching and feel dynamic.
Orange is often seen as the colour of innovation, creativity, and modern thinking. It also carries connotations of youth, excitement, fun, energy, and approachability.
Yellow is another colour that is believed to stimulate appetite. It requires caution when using it as it can sometimes be hard to read when used with white. Yellow is sunny, warm, friendly, happy, and bright.
Green is commonly used to emphasize natural, organic, and ethical products or websites. Other meanings ascribed to it include growth, freshness, and productivity.
Blue is one of the most widely used colours in websites. It implies professionalism, seriousness, integrity, sincerity, calm, and respect. Blue is also associated with authority and success and can greatly change its feeling based on the darkness or lightness of the blue.
Purple has long been associated with royalty and luxury. Implying wisdom, dignity, wealth, and riches. Purple also has connotations of the supernatural and magic.
Pink can be fun and command attention, but it's western feminine associations means it is often avoided unless specifically targeted at women. This is often a mistake as pink can add quite the tropical or retro aesthetic if used properly.
Black can be used in two completely different ways. On the one hand it implies power and sophistication, but on the other hand it is associated with evil, nightmares, and death.
White is generally associated with purity, cleanliness, simplicity and elegance. Lots of white space on a website can help with organization and contrast a bold colour like red.